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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
| pub_date = April 1, 2007The Book is in Stores, April 1, 2007 | english_pub_date = | media_type = Print (paperback, hardcover) | pages = 221 | isbn = 978-0-14-330383-1 | isbn_note = | oclc = | followed_by = Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules }} Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a satirical realistic fiction comedy novel for children and teenagers written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. It is the first book in the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' series. The book is about a boy named Greg Heffley and his struggles to fit in as he begins middle school. Diary of a Wimpy Kid first appeared on FunBrain in 2004, where it was read 20 million times. The abridged hardcover adaptation was released on April 1, 2007. The book was named New York Times bestseller among other awards and praise. A film of the same name was released on March 19, 2010. The sequel to the film is Rodrick Rules, followed by Dog Days and The Long Haul. Plot As Greg Heffley is getting ready for his first day of middle school, he is teased by his teenage brother Rodrick, because his mom bought him his supplies for school. He has a little brother, a toddler named Manny, who is "spoiled rotten" because he gets everything he wants and also gets away with everything he does wrong. His father, named Frank Heffley, does not encourage Greg's way of life - playing video games all day - rather than going outside and playing sports. During the first day of school, Greg is immediately rejected and is forced to sit with another outcast named Fregley, from whom Greg tries to keep "a safe distance". He is initially unsure whether best friend Rowley Jefferson will be able to fit in, as he considers Rowley to be immature. However, Greg strongly believes that he can become popular. He and Rowley decide to take part in wrestling at school, although Greg quits after losing a match against Fregley. On Halloween, Greg and Rowley go trick-or-treating, but are challenged by teens who spray Greg and Rowley with a water-filled fire extinguisher. Greg tries to threaten them by saying-"We're calling the cops", but the teenagers start to chase them. The two friends escape and go to Greg's grandmother's house until the teens leave. After getting few presents for Christmas, Greg decides to play a game with Rowley in which Rowley must ride a bike while Greg tries to knock him off. On one of Greg's tries, the ball gets under the front wheel, which causes Rowley to fall off and break his arm. When Rowley goes to school with a plaster cast, the girls take care of him (carrying his books, feeding him food) which makes Greg jealous. After Rowley's arm heals, he and Greg decide to enroll in the safety patrol program in which they walk younger kids to their homes. One day, as Greg is walking the kids by himself he chases the young children after scaring them with a stick with worms on it. A neighbour contacts the school and tells them about Greg's unusual behavior. The principal suspects Rowley, as Greg was wearing Rowley's jacket. Rowley is suspended from the safety patrol. Greg later decides to confess the truth, but Rowley has already informed on him, resulting in their friendship breaking off. Greg tries to befriend Fregley to make Rowley jealous, although he is uncomfortable around Fregley. Resorting to auditioning for the school play (based on The Wizard of Oz) Greg lands the role as a tree, while Patty Farrel is cast as Dorothy, the protagonist of the novel. During the show's opening performance, Rodrick brings a camera to film the play. Greg becomes too nervous to sing, confusing the other "trees" who also fail to sing. Patty gets frustrated and angers Greg, who throws props at Patty, and then everyone gets in the fight, ending the play in chaos. Feeling desolate from being blatantly rejected by everyone, Greg is surprised and a little happy to see Rowley approaching him at recess, until, he discovers that he's only there to demand back a CD he'd left with Greg. They get into an awkward fist-fight. While they are fighting, the teens who chased them at halloween are drawn to the chaos crowding around Greg and Rowley tumbling around in the dirt. When the leader of the teen gang scares away the rest of the students, they force Greg and Rowley to eat the legendary "cheese", a moldy piece of cheese that has been left on the grounds of the school for years. Rowley is the first to eat the cheese - except when it comes to Greg's turn, he claims that he's lactose intolerant and that eating cheese will kill him. The principal turns up and the teens disappear. The other students see the cheese in front of Rowley and believe he has eaten from it. Greg takes the blame and claims he ate the cheese. Greg and Rowley mend their friendship. Background In 2005, FunBrain and Jeff Kinney released an online version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The website made daily entries until June 2005. The book became an instant hit and the online version received about 20 million views as of 2007. Many online readers requested a printed version. At the 2006 New York Comic-Con Kinney proposed Diary to Charles Kochman, Editorial Director of the ComicArts division of Abrams Books, who purchased the rights to the book. According to Kochman, the two initially conceived it as a book for adults, believing it would appeal to audiences similar to that of the TV series The Wonder Years. Kochman brought it before the Abrams publishing board, which convinced Kinney and Kochman that it would be better aimed toward children.Vorce, Kristin (August 11, 2011). "Abrams Books: Making Publishing an Art". NYU Pub Posts.Thomases, Martha (September 7, 2008). "Interview: Harry N. Abrams’ Charles Kochman". ComicMix. In 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, an abridged version of the original online book, was published. Characters ;Gregory Heffley: The main character, Greg, has trouble with family, friends, and his local middle school. He is very concerned about how popular he is at school, and he daydreams a lot about being rich and famous when he grows up. He tries to fit in at his school, but usually he does not succeed. Facing many challenges, Greg attempts to handle them very creatively, but unfortunately his antics often backfire on him. ;Rowley Jefferson: Greg's best friend has a larger than average frame. He is always willing to do what Greg tells him, including dangerous stunts. Rowley goes on vacations all the time, which annoys Greg. Rowley is a loyal friend, but he sometimes behaves in an immature or childish manner. He also dresses in an unusual way. ;Manny Heffley: Greg's "spoiled" little brother, a three-year-old toddler. He never gets in trouble no matter what, even when he really deserves it. Manny is just getting toilet trained. ;Rodrick Heffley: Rodrick is Greg's teenage brother and he never misses a chance to be cruel to Greg. He is known for sleeping excessively in the morning and for his rebellious attitude. Rodrick is part of a garage band called "The Löded Diper". Rodrick will do anything to embarrass Greg and will even cause problems for Manny to make everyone's life miserable. Sequels Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first book in an ongoing book franchise. The second, Rodrick Rules was released February 1, 2008 and was listed on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 117 weeks. The Last Straw, the third book in the series, released on January 13, 2009 was on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 65 weeks, peaking at number one. Dog Days was released October 12, 2009 with 217 pages. The book was ranked at number one on the New York Times Best Sellers List for all 25 weeks of inclusion, making Dog Days the #1 Best Selling Book of 2009. The Ugly Truth was released November 9, 2010 with 217 pages. The sixth, Cabin Fever was released November 15, 2011. The seventh, The Third Wheel was released on November 13, 2012. The eighth, Hard Luck was released on November 5, 2013 in the United States and on November 6 in the United Kingdom. The ninth, The Long Haul was released on November 4, 2014 in the US and November 5, 2014 in the UK. The tenth, Old School, was released globally on November 3, 2015. The eleventh, ''Double Down'', was published on November 1, 2016. Awards The book won the Blue Peter Book Award 2012, revealed live on British kids channel CBBC on March 1, 2012. Adaptations Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a 2010 American comedy directed by Thor Freudenthal and based on Jeff Kinney's book. The film was released on March 19, 2010. It was released on DVD, iTunes, and Blu-ray on August 3, 2010. The movie stars Zachary Gordon as Greg Heffley, Robert Capron as Rowley Jefferson, Steve Zahn as Frank Heffley (Dad), Rachael Harris as Susan Heffley (Mom), Devon Bostick as Rodrick Heffley, Chloë Grace Moretz as Angie Steadman, and Connor & Owen Fielding as Manny Heffley, Greg's brother. References External links * * Diary of a Wimpy Kid on FunBrain.com * Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Channel One News Interview with Jeff Kinney on Channel One News * The Wonderful World of Wimpy - Parade magazine An interview with Jeff Kinney in Parade Magazine Category:2007 American novels Category:Diary of a Wimpy Kid (series) Category:Novels by Jeff Kinney Category:American young adult novels Category:American novels adapted into films Category:2007 children's books Category:Books Category:Movies Category:Zachary Gordon Category:Devon Bostick Category:Connor Fielding Category:Owen Fielding Category:Diary of a Wimpy Kid Category:Jeff Kinney